William emanated authority without raising his voice. "Withdraw that announcement first."What announcement? Of course, he meant the Reynolds Group's notice canceling the engagement with Vivian.Zachary fixed his grandfather with a determined gaze. His lips barely moved as he replied, "No."When William spoke seriously about something, no one dared contradict him, let alone maintain eye contact.But Zachary did. He met those weathered eyes, which showed hints of a jaded view of the world, and repeated firmly, "I refuse."His tone was absolute, his gaze unwavering as he faced his grandfather without backing down.William looked at his grandson with confusion. He had raised and taught him for so many years, given him so much power—but not so he could confidently say "I refuse" to his face."Does your refusal matter?" he asked meaningfully.Zachary didn't retreat an inch. He sighed. "Grandpa, I didn't want to tell you this before. I was afraid it would upset you, but now I hav
These words pierced Vivian's heart like a knife. She couldn't understand why Zachary, knowing secrets that could turn East Coast upside down, would willingly use that leverage to protect Sarah.Her grandfather suddenly struck his cane against the marble floor. "Daydreaming?"Vivian snapped back to reality. "I'm sorry, Grandpa. My mind wandered.""Tell me what you were thinking." His voice grew colder, his gaze seeming to see right through her.She certainly didn't dare mention the West Ridge incident. Compared to her broken engagement, that matter was truly untouchable for her grandfather."I was just thinking that Reynolds Group has been opposing us repeatedly. Zachary probably wanted to cancel our engagement all along, and this incident gave him the perfect excuse," Vivian sighed.Her grandfather snorted. "You have the nerve to say that? You handed him this excuse on a silver platter.""I made a mistake, but we have no other options now."Her grandfather didn't know about Zac
He only said to brace himself, then poured the entire bottle of liquor onto the wound.That pain—like having every muscle in his body stretched and torn—remained crystal clear in his memory even now.By sending Vivian with this same liquor today, her grandfather was clearly reminding him of that event.Most likely, Vivian wasn't as ignorant of the story as she pretended to be. She just wanted to confirm he hadn't forgotten."Grandpa William, so this liquor represents an agreement between you and my grandfather?"Seeing William nod, she placed the bottle on the table and rose to leave."If I had known the story behind this bottle, I would never have brought it to you. I'll leave now—please act as if I was never here." Vivian turned to go.William quickly called her back, "Stay. It's not entirely about that."He couldn't tell whether Vivian was being genuine or not. Perhaps it was a bit of both."Have you seen him?" William asked.Vivian's face darkened with misery as she nodde
"What exactly were you trying to do?" William asked, his voice stern."I only asked Tracy to keep an eye on Mia. I never thought she would twist my words like that." Vivian's voice trembled as she played the victim, her performance nearly flawless.Though in his seventies, William was sharp as ever. He'd witnessed countless schemes and manipulations throughout his decades in business.Mia's mental health issues made her vulnerable, and Vivian had exploited this weakness ruthlessly to get what she wanted.In the corporate world, William typically appreciated strategic thinking and tactical maneuvering. These were qualities he normally respected.But Vivian had crossed an unforgivable line by targeting his granddaughter.William leaned heavily on his walnut cane, his expression thunderous. "If you've come to discuss Mia, save your breath and leave. It's not about disrespecting your family—Mia is my flesh and blood. I'm heartbroken over what happened to her. If I welcomed you with o
Vivian trembled slightly. Of course she knew how their engagement had come about—it had been bought with Sarah's life.All this time, she had been deceiving herself, believing that Zachary might still have feelings for her. Otherwise, why would someone like him, the renowned third young master of the Reynolds family in East Coast, compromise himself over someone like Sarah?Now she finally understood. It was only because Zachary cared so deeply for Sarah that he had been willing to get engaged to Vivian.Their engagement had been built on a transaction. It was never real, never contained even a hint of love."Aren't you afraid I'll tell her about what happened back then?" Vivian blurted out like a cornered cat.Upon hearing this, Zachary gave a soft laugh. "Have you forgotten about the West Ridge incident?"Vivian felt her blood run cold, as if she'd turned to stone. "What... what are you talking about? I don't understand.""You don't understand? Then go ask your grandfather if
St. Ritz.Zachary was discussing a potential partnership with a business associate. Before they could finalize anything, Vivian suddenly appeared. When she recognized who the business associate was, she smiled sarcastically.The businessman looked awkwardly between Vivian and Zachary, surprised that Vivian had managed to find them here."Mr. Lanchester, I don't understand. Our negotiations were going so well, then you suddenly rejected Wilson Group's partnership. You wouldn't answer our calls, and when we came to your home, you wouldn't even see us. So this is why—you found someone more suitable? Zachary, do you really need to poach my clients?" She looked at Zachary with disbelief.In the uncomfortable silence that followed, Zachary calmly took a contract from his briefcase, signed his name on the party A line with his pen, and slid it across to the man opposite him.Mr. Lanchester wiped his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief, pulled the contract toward him, and took out his own
Vivian hesitated. "Do you really think he'll believe me?""And you think not calling will help? What matters now isn't public opinion, but whether Zachary still wants to marry you at all. You don't think Tracy would have the guts to release that video without his approval, do you? He probably knew everything already." Mr. Wilson's voice was grave.A cold wave of dread washed over Vivian. She had manipulated Mia so many times in the past. Maybe Zachary had been quietly keeping score all along, and this was simply the final straw.With shaking hands, she finally dialed his number.She tried three times, but each call went straight to voicemail. Her stomach tightened. "He won't answer."Mr. Wilson's frown deepened. Just then, the housekeeper burst into the room. "Sir, Miss—you need to see this right away!"She thrust a tablet toward them displaying breaking news that was even worse than before.The first response to Tracy's video hadn't come from Vivian at all, but from Zachary him
"Are you sure?" The man raised an eyebrow.Tracy frantically pulled out her phone, found the recording, and pressed play. "Listen! Just listen."The voices of Tracy and Vivian rang out clearly from the speaker."Make this public," the man said. "Let everyone in the city hear it. If people know what Vivian did, your family company can be saved. Remember—do it before tonight." With that, he walked away.Tracy wiped her tears and swallowed hard.The man left the school grounds and slid into his car, immediately dialing a number. "Zach, it's done.""Good. Is the statement ready?"Steven answered firmly, "All set.""Perfect."Barely two hours later, a video exploded across social media.In it, the White heiress accused Vivian of orchestrating attacks against Zachary's sister Mia, complete with damning audio evidence. Students from Adams University were coming forward as witnesses, confirming everything.When Vivian saw the video trending online, she hurled her phone against the w
She smiled and raised her right hand, dropping a cigarette butt that fell to the floor right in front of Tracy.She slowly walked out of the hazy light, followed by several other female classmates, each giving Tracy a malicious glance.Get ready? Ready for what?She watched in terror as they slowly backed away, and the next second, she was pushed into the last bathroom stall."What are you doing? What do you want?" she asked fearfully.A hand reached over and held the stall door shut.Tracy seemed to understand what was happening and frantically banged on the door, but no matter what she said or did, it was useless.A white cloth was draped over the top of the stall, just like everything she had done to Mia."Let me out! What are you trying to do?! You're crazy!"A large bucket of water came crashing down on her head, causing a dull pain.The water soaked her entire body. She thought she heard someone outside the bathroom say, "You deserve it. You're the crazy one."Only a